Wyatt's Wanderings

THE OVERLOOK

By Tom Clavin

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          It was 94 years ago this week that Wyatt Earp died. For some people, it might be hard to believe that the famous Wild West lawman lived another 47 years after leaving Tombstone, Arizona, behind.

It was there that the Earp legend was set in stone when, in October 1881, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place. Though Hollywood would have you think differently, when the final shot was fired – in just 30 seconds, 30 shots were exchanged -- that was not the end of the trials and tribulations for the Earps in Tombstone. In December, Wyatt’s older brother, Virgil, the marshal, was ambushed. He survived but would always have a crippled right arm. The following March, in 1882, Wyatt’s younger brother, Morgan, was shot in the back and died.

Wyatt and Doc Holliday saddled up, and with several other men, including another brother, Warren Earp, they embarked on what became known as the Vendetta Ride. During the rest of the month and into April, Wyatt and his posse tracked down and killed several men, including Curly Bill Brocius, who were involved in the attacks on the Earp brothers. Rather than return to Tombstone and be arrested, Wyatt, Doc, and the others left Arizona for Colorado.

Wyatt and Bat Masterson would reunite in 1883 for what became known as the “Dodge City War.” The town leaders made the mistake of kicking Luke Short out of town, and his friends Wyatt and Bat put together a small army of gunmen to kick the leaders out of Dodge City. Luke and his gambling hall were soon back in business.

After that, Wyatt and his fourth wife, Josephine, began a wandering journey through the American West. This was a combination of Wyatt’s ongoing search for wealth and the inherent Earp restlessness. And he wanted to escape his gunslinger reputation. He once said, “Notoriety has been the bane of my life.”

            During the rest of the 1880s, the couple spent time in Galveston, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Idaho, where for a time Wyatt owned a saloon. In San Diego, he was a real estate speculator and he owned racehorses, none of which were fast enough to be consistent winners. Around this time, Josie developed an addiction to gambling. Wyatt was constantly buying back jewelry from pawnshops and regifting the items to his wife.

          In the 1890s, while back in Arizona, Wyatt heard about the gold strikes in the Klondike area of Alaska and he decided that would be the couple’s next adventure. He did not find gold in the hills but apparently a saloon he owned in Nome did a brisk business. In 1901, he cashed out and he and Josie returned to Los Angeles. Thanks to a previous affiliation, Wyatt found work as a boxing referee. Then there was some time spent in Nevada before he and his wife settled down for good in Los Angeles.

          Over the next two decades Wyatt was approached to cooperate on writing projects. This would mean talking, not his strong suit, and perhaps revealing more about his life than he cared to. He could use the money, though, because ill-advised investments had taken most of what he had previously earned. In fact, Wyatt was arrested for “bunco steering” in 1911, when he was 63. He cooperated with writer and friend John Flood, but this much-exaggerated “biography” was never published. Next up was exchanging letters with the writer Stuart Lake through 1928, when Wyatt became too unwell to continue.

          When 1929 began, Wyatt was very ill. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and whatever treatment existed at the time would have been too late anyway given his late-stage condition. He would not see his 81st birthday in March. One day in January, the ex-lawman could not get out of bed, and that is where he remained, with Josie at his side.

          She continued her vigil day after day. At one point, Wyatt regained consciousness. He appeared thoughtful and said, “Supposing . . . supposing . . .” He was quiet for a few moments, then added, “Oh, well,” and fell asleep. Wyatt Earp died on January 13, 1929.

          The services for the legendary lawman were held at the Pierce Brothers chapel in Los Angeles. Josie was too overcome with grief to attend. Among those who did attend were John Clum, an old friend from Tombstone days, and the big-screen cowboy stars William S. Hart and Tom Mix. Wyatt’s body was cremated. Six months later, Josie brought the ashes to her family’s plot at Hills of Eternity, a Jewish cemetery in Colma, California.

            The widow wound up writing her own book, titled I Married Wyatt Earp, but much of its contents was fabricated. Josie remained in Los Angeles. She was close to being penniless when World War II began. On December 19, 1944, she died of a heart attack, at 83. Josie was buried next to Wyatt and they share a headstone. (It was stolen in 1957 but recovered.) William S. Hart and Sid Grauman of Grauman’s Chinese Theater paid for the funeral.

Tom Clavin is the bestselling author/co-author of 18 books, including the just-published The Last Hill, with Bob Drury, and Dodge City. To purchase copies, please go to your local bookstore or to Bookshop.org, Amazon.com, BN.com, or tomclavin.com.